NorthEast United FC forward Deshorn Brown expressed dissatisfaction regarding the way his team played in the second half in a 0-1 loss against Odisha FC in their Hero Indian Super League (ISL) 2021-22 match at the Tilak Maidan stadium in Vasco, Goa on Friday.

Jonathas de Jesus’ 81st minute goal was enough for the Bhubaneswar-based side to secure their third win of the season and move to the third spot in the league table. On the other hand, the Highlanders faded away after an inspiring display ahead of the half-time whistle.

Brown came close to scoring on quite a few occasions in the opening half, but lacked finishing prowess. However, he was kept at bay in the second half.

“Wanted to keep the same momentum (in the second half). But, I think we switched off not thinking properly, started making silly mistakes, and making too many turnovers. As soon as we won the ball, we gave them back or we took it out. So it's just a lot of frustration. And that's what cost us the game,” said Brown, after their loss.

The Jamaican forward was seen combining well with Mathias Coureur throughout the game, yet Brown feels that one of them have to play deep, as they are getting caught up in the same line, which is affecting the combination play.

“(Mathias) Coureur and I have similarity in movement. But we, as number 9’s, I think one of us has to stay back more, we both sometimes get caught on the same line, which I think that's affecting our game playing as a combination. That's something we have to work on training. And I think he (Coureur) and I can do some pretty damage to the opposition,” concluded the NorthEast United FC player.

Odisha FC midfielder Vinit Rai lauded the team’s fighting spirit, even though he felt that they escaped quite a few times in the first half, when NorthEast United FC were running the show with constant attacks.

“It was a tough game because they created a lot of chances in the first half and even in the beginning of the second half, and we were lucky enough to escape from that. But I think the positive thing to take is that we kept on going and we kept fighting. And at the end we got our winning goal,” said Rai, during the post-match interview.

NorthEast United FC head coach Khalid Jamil felt that lack of concentration was mainly responsible for their loss against Odisha FC.

“We missed many chances, but everyone tried, which is a good point,  we have to work hard, cause we only have two days before playing against a good team (Hyderabad FC). We have to prepare and not lose confidence and we have to work hard again. I think the only problem (today) was lack of concentration, which means that the belief was not there. We have to forget this game and move forward,” remarked Jamil.

NorthEast United FC will be up against Hyderabad FC in their next match at the Athletic Stadium, in Bambolim, on December 13. Meanwhile, Odisha FC will face Jamshedpur FC, at the Tilak Maidan, on the following day.